The present invention relates to video gaming systems and, more particularly, to improvements in a video gaming machine that permit a plurality of players to simultaneously participate in a game.
Many video gaming machines are configured for single players. For example, a video blackjack or poker game machine may have one player station from which a player participates in an independent game executed by the machine's game processor. While popular, such games do not provide the group interaction found in live casino games.
Moreover, single player games are often located in establishments frequented by groups of customers and thus may be unattractive to customers not wishing to separate from their companions.
Video gaming machines typically include a cabinet housing at least a player station, a game processor assembly and a video monitor. The player station includes at least one input device by which a player inputs commands to the game processor. Generally, these input devices are push-buttons that, when depressed and/or released, trigger switches that send a signal to the game processor. However, any suitable input device, for example a joystick or touch screen, may be utilized. The player station also typically includes a currency acceptor by which a player deposits coins or paper currency for betting or for paying a fee to play the game. The currency acceptor is often, but not necessarily, located proximate the input devices.
The game processor assembly is, generally, a computing assembly that includes an integrated circuit computing device that executes a video gaming program responsively to the commands input by the player at the player station. Often, this processor is a device, for example an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM) which is custom programmed to execute only the video gaming program or related functions. The EPROM is a “chip” mounted on a custom built circuit board that may include various peripheral devices as needed or desired. The circuit board is constructed specifically to operate in conjunction with the video gaming machine and is typically capable of receiving the input signals directly from each input device. That is, a communication line directly links a single push-button to the circuit board.
Multiplayer video games are known which utilize custom circuitry such as EPROM arrangements. Due to its expense, however, custom circuitry may be impractical for game developers working in early development stages. Thus, some gaming programs are initially developed on conventional personal computers. These devices employ components such as a central processing unit (CPU), memory, and an input/output system. The CPU is an integrated circuit “chip.” It is a processor device that can perform a multitude of operations. It is not a single-program device but, instead, executes programs stored in memory by a user. The input/output system manages data handling among the CPU and other internal or external components.
Because it is a multipurpose device, the personal computer assembly typically has no permanent input or output device having direct communication to the main circuit board. Instead, data is conveyed between input and output devices and the input/output system via data ports. These ports may have predetermined uses, for example to receive input from a keyboard or a mouse or to direct output to a printer or monitor. Personal computers also typically include expansion slots for additional circuit boards which may include their own data ports.
For example, computer software games are known which dedicate certain keys on a keyboard to individual players. However, a keyboard is inadequate for a video gaming machine, for example because of its physical awkwardness, because it would detract from game realism, and because it has no mechanism to receive currency for wagers or game fees.
Video gaming machines employing personal computer components without the addition of custom circuit boards or ports include means for conveying player input data to the CPU through existing components. For example, a currency acceptor may output data to the main circuit board via an existing serial port. However, multiplayer games include a relatively greater number of input devices such as push-buttons and, consequently, a correspondingly greater number of communication lines than required for a single player game. Because the existing input ports in a typical personal computer configuration are inadequate to directly accommodate these communication lines, an interface system is required to coordinate data transfer between the player stations and the data port(s).
For example, multiplayer interactive video gaming machines are known that employ a network arrangement. Players play individual games from individual player stations, each having a keypad, a personal computer circuit board, and a monitor. Input from the keypad switches is conveyed to the player station circuit board, which executes the individual player blackjack game responsively to this input data and data relating to the dealer's hand provided by a central file server computer. However, the multiple circuit boards contribute significantly to the costs of such a configuration, while the heat generated by the CPUs contributes to increased maintenance costs.